In Bloom

A few weeks ago Lance and I trekked down to Carlsbad to see The Flower Fields and to go to the outlet mall to buy Lance new work shoes. The day was overcast but the fields were still lovely. After we toured the fields and tromped around the mall for many hours, we had dinner at a quaint hole-in-the-wall seafood place. The crab legs were mighty tasty!

Reflection on My Pregnancy

I am almost 38 weeks along and am finally feeling the aches and pains I was told were quite common of the third trimester. I am not dying to get this little girl out, though. Just give me a week to finish nesting without school work and then maybe I will change my mind.

I have been reflecting lately on how much I have loved being pregnant. I guess having to go through years of infertility treatments and two losses make carrying a baby to term an absolute miracle to me. I will gladly take the swollen feet and hands, multiple trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night, morning sickness, horrible stretch marks, a scale reading that I thought I would never see in my life (unless I was weighing an elephant or whale and not my pregnant body), and any other worries and discomforts in exchange for a baby to call my own. I always said this when I thought we couldn't have children of our own and having experienced 38 weeks of pregnancy, my feelings haven't changed.

So dare I say it? I love being pregnant. Now let's just see what I say after labor and delivery....

One more thing. I love this picture. Anyone ever see the Friends episode where Phoebe was using her big pregnant belly for a table to rest her cereal bowl on? About three weeks ago, I discovered I too had finally reached this point. Using your belly as a flat surface to rest your plate or bowl on sure saves one from doing extra laundry!

Paljon Onnea Bubba!

Happy birthday to one of the kindest, most giving, hardest working, most intellegent, most positive and cutest men I know.

I am so glad Lance came into this world a few years ago today. I have always admired him for his goodness and am greatful to be married to him (Even with his tiny quirks like how he tells the same jokes over and over again or gets up at 3 a.m. to watch Star Trek :-))

Hope you have a great one, Bubba!

(I also hope our baby is as happy as Lance was in this picture when he was a few months old and has his adorable chubby cheeks.)

Mourning My Tree

Some gardner came by, per our home owner's request, to trim the best shade tree in our yard today. I think he did the worst job I have ever seen and butchered our poor tree.

BEFORE (taken in Feb. 08)

AFTER (Taken April 08)

I literally cried while he was doing it. Let me rephrase that - I became hysterical while he was doing this. I asked him to stop but he didn't understand English very well and promised me it would grow back in two years. This reminds me of a really, really bad haircut. The only difference is a haircut grows back in a few months. This will take years, if the tree survives.

I am so sorry, Tree. I tried to stop him. **Sniff, sniff**

One in the Oven

I remember reading that pregnant women have higher thermal kinetic energy than regular people. I was thinking the other day that this didn't apply to me because I didn't seem to feel warmer than Lance and still wore my hooded sweatshirt quite a bit.

However, when some thermometers reached 102 degrees today in the area, I then realized this was now a reality for me. Despite our best laid plans to go on a picnic for dinner, write my final research paper for this semester, and do loads upon loads of laundry, I spent the majority of the day in an air conditioned house in bed in front of our fan (wearing as little clothes as possible, I might add) and I am still roasting.

Today gave Lance's favorite saying "we got us one in the oven" a whole other meaning. I am SOOOO greatful I haven't been pregnant during the summer. I don't know how I would get anything done if I was!

What Every Girl Needs

A papa who cares enough to not only research and pick

out a stroller/carseat combo that is acceptable to both him and your mama,

but use his free time on the weekend to put it together.

AND

Shoes.

Because a girl can never have too many pairs.

(Imagine her closet when she is a teenager.)

Easter

You can always tell when I have downloaded the pictures from my camera. I tend to have many posts! We had our friend Margaret and her son Steve over for a relaxed holiday dinner Easter Sunday. Here are a few pictures.

Lance posing next to his Easter basket the Easter bunny left.

Me at 34 weeks with my new Easter sweater. I didn't buy
my traditional dress this year since I would only
wear it for a few weeks. I figured this sweater would be
cute enough to wear while I loose the baby pounds.